A standout at Duke University, Curry averaged a team-high 17.5 points per game for one of the NCAA's best teams last season, despite playing with an injury to his right shin that ultimately required offseason surgery. His performance in the 2013 NCAA Tournament nevertheless included games with 26 and 29 points, and his Blue Devils made it all the way to the Elite Eight.

In Santa Cruz, he's again starring for one of the NBA Development League's top franchises. Averaging 19.8 points, 6.5 assists and 3.4 rebounds through 30 games with the Warriors, Curry was the 14th-ranked NBA-ready prospect in the D-League's most recent weekly rankings.

He'll even compete on Saturday in the D-League All-Star Game in New Orleans, which will be televised live at noon on NBA TV.

But after one game in the NBA with the Memphis Grizzlies earlier this season, Curry is still hesitant to call Kaiser Permanente Arena more than a temporary home venue. The 23-year-old Charlotte, N.C., native insists he belongs at basketball's highest level, and he's doing everything he can to prove it in Santa Cruz.

After going undrafted in the 2013 NBA Draft, Curry passed on offers from Minnesota, San Antonio and Charlotte to sign with Golden State. He was reunited with his brother, Stephen, and played in four preseason games with the NBA's Warriors.

"I walked on the court and was just thinking about it," he said of playing with Stephen in the second preseason game. "It was surreal that me and my brother were out here at the same time on the same NBA team. It was an incredible moment and a great experience."

Sent to Santa Cruz to start the regular season, Curry averaged 19.8 points, 7.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds in six regular-season games before the Grizzlies worked him out in early December. The NBA club ultimately signed him on Dec. 24.

"I think just being on the court and competing, I showed I can play point guard at the D-League level," he said. "The Grizzlies saw me play here in Santa Cruz. A lot of teams come to D-League games and scouts are always in attendance."

In Memphis, Curry sat on the Grizzlies' bench for four games before making his NBA debut on Jan. 5.

In just more than four minutes of playing time, Curry turned in a clean score sheet. He didn't attempt a shot, have an assist, grab a rebound or record any statistics. His +/- for the game was also 0.

"It was just a weird situation," he said. "It was good to be on the NBA court, but I didn't get the chance to show what I needed to out there."

Curry was waived after the game. He re-joined Santa Cruz four days later at the D-League Showcase in Reno, and returned to his starting role as the team's point guard.

Hill recalls during warm-ups prior to Santa Cruz's second and final game against Rio Grande Valley, Memphis' Vice President of Basketball Operations John Hollinger, the former ESPN analyst, stood nearby and watched.

And Curry noticed.

"It was kind of a perfect storm, and it was perfect for us because he played so well," Hill said. "It was motivation for Seth, to go out there and play well."

Curry managed as much, filling the stat line. He dropped 27 points on 12 of 22 shooting to go along with eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals in his first game back against RGV. He earned second team All-NBA D-League Showcase honors as a result.

"Everybody knows he could shoot," Stephen Curry said of his younger brother last week, according to NBA.com. "But if you watched him play at Duke, he could run the pick-and-roll, he could get other guys involved on the floor. His injury kind of overshadowed all that.

"But I think this has definitely been an opportunity for him to just expand that talent and be able to show that if he gets out there with the ball in his hands, he's going to make the right decisions but also be a scoring threat and can provide huge punches for any team that's going to pick him up. Hopefully, somebody will pull the trigger and I'm sure he'll make them look good for that decision."

Looking forward

Since returning to Santa Cruz, Curry has continued to lead what he calls the best D-League organization in the country. He's averaging 18.2 points, 5.1 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 11 games since rejoining the team on Jan. 9.

Part of his continued success, Curry says, is a result of playing in quality facilities for a city and organization that invests in its players.

"I think we have the best D-League facilities in the whole league," he said. "We're one of the only teams that has its own arena. The organization looks a lot after this program and does a great job of treating it like a part of the Golden State Warriors. We're treated pretty well, about as well as you can be in the D-League."

Curry says he's taking life one practice, one game at a time and hoping the NBA again comes calling.

He speaks with Stephen almost daily, and cites Grizzlies' point guard Mike Conley as one of the players he most looked up to during his time in Memphis. Curry says having his brother and father Dell, who played in the NBA for 16 seasons, to rely on for advice is everything.

"They've been through it all NBA-wise," he said. "And that helps. The biggest thing is being able to watch them, and watch Stephen now, how he prepares for a season and how he goes through his season. Just being able to pick their brains anytime. It's something that will benefit me going forward."

Working for an NBA future, Curry says his goal isn't just to play for an NBA team, but to be a full-time contributor at point guard.

"It was my goal to play in the NBA," he said. "I reached that and it was great. But the next level is being able to go out there and help a team compete and get regular minutes. And I'm going to continue to work toward that."

To get there, he's practicing, playing and appreciating his time at Kaiser Permanente Arena, hoping the 2,500 fans he sees in the stands will one day turn into 20,000 at the next level.

"At the end of the day it's about playing basketball and I love to do it," he said. "There's no better thing than being able to play basketball for a living every day. Whenever I get my opportunity in the league, that's when it's going to be. I have to control what I can control and that's going out and playing well -- and I think I've done a pretty good job of that so far."